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something like that I would write AA
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Originally Posted by justhere
(Post 30833859)
How does the GA scan your boarding pass AND close the aircraft door at the same time if you try to board at T-10? Seems like the 5 minutes between "be at the gate T-15" and "door closes at T-10" supports scanning the last BP's at maybe T-11 so the door can close on time.
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There's no winning. I arrived at the gate 5 minutes prior to boarding and they were on Group 5. I was Group 1. I decided to wait in a seat instead of waiting in line. There is no sweet spot.
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Originally Posted by NYCommuter
(Post 30834978)
No but, sorry, I'm not sympathetic, except for the rudeness of the agent. I'd love it if flights boarded right when boarding was to start and if they closed the door and departed as soon as possible. I try to get to the gate not later than when boarding starts (and usually a few minutes before that), since sometimes flights board early. Admirals Clubs are not that great and aren't worth missing being among the first to board. At least AA affirmatively contacted you.
And my goal is never to board first -- I don't need the overhead space and I find it 100x more comfortable to sit 10 extra minutes in an AC chair than in coach. |
Originally Posted by no2chem
(Post 30832573)
Today I'm flying an envoy flight BOS-JFK, which departs out of B36. The flight departs at 2:57pm, and boards around 2:27pm. I'm at the lounge at B4, which is about a 10 minute walk to the gate. I leave at boarding time sharp (2:27pm).
About 5 minutes into my walk (2:35pm), I get a phone call from a mass. Number. It's AA: AAgent: "hello no2chem this is x with AA, will you still be traveling with us today?" Me: "yes, I'm at gate B23 and walking" AAgent: " you're the last to board the gate will be closed soon" Me: " boarding started 5 minutes ago" AAgent: "you're the last to board the gate is about to close" .... So I get there and the agent repeats how I'm the last to board and they were about to close the gate. I make it a point that the gate isn't supposed to close until 10mins before departure, and it's 2:40, 17 mins before departure. To add insult to injury, the flight departs 10mins late anyway While I appreciate the call (sort of, the AAgent was really rude and it sounded like she wanted her bonus points for closing the flight early), they really need to fix this early boarding crap. At least announce in the AC when you're going to do that. Anyone else experience this? |
In large airports there are limitations on early pushback. It's basically up to the ground controller. The Captain just can't close the door and instruct the ground crew to begin pushback. The crew would probably love to do so as they could be home or to the hotel earlier or have more time between flights.
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Happened to me at CLT. I had to use the restroom and we still had around 20 minutes before boarding started. All of a sudden they start boarding early - I have never seen a plane board that fast in my life. I was all like 😦 AA app didn’t say anything, that app is not always up to date. |
Originally Posted by newyorkgeorge
(Post 30835253)
In large airports there are limitations on early pushback. It's basically up to the ground controller. The Captain just can't close the door and instruct the ground crew to begin pushback. The crew would probably love to do so as they could be home or to the hotel earlier or have more time between flights.
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Listen to ATC recordings on YouTube. Pilots need approval for all ground movement. They simply can't drive off to and from the gate as they please. In fact when you listen to ground controllers at large airports there's often testy communication with pilots. If the controller has a tarmac full of planes he/she likely won't let an aircraft push early.
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I recently saw a sign AA posted to GAs telling them to not board early as it is causing problems on the other end as flights arrive early with no gate. Couldn't find it now - did anyone else see this?
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Originally Posted by HofstraJet
(Post 30835873)
I recently saw a sign AA posted to GAs telling them to not board early as it is causing problems on the other end as flights arrive early with no gate. Couldn't find it now - did anyone else see this?
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Originally Posted by MarkOK
(Post 30832966)
Every flight DFW to SWO does this. It's a small ERJ 135 or 140, they begin boarding at T-30 sharp or earlier, it takes 5 minutes to board the plane, then they start doing final boarding call announcements. Many times I get there at T-25 as and they are itching to close the door. Not sure yet at what point they would yet. Doubt they would call me too.
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Originally Posted by JonNYC
(Post 30835901)
If you mean this, not an admonition against early boarding, something else.
https://twitter.com/TheForwardCabin/...60893496897536 |
Originally Posted by jacca83
(Post 30835200)
Yes, I've ran into the same situation. Since on certain flights I am not so concerned with overhead space, I prefer to stay in the lounge as long as possible and board last. Like you, I leave the lounge exactly when boarding is scheduled to begin and by the time I get to the gate (5-10 mins later) they are announcing final boarding. I'll sometimes even get a comment made that they were about to give my seat away. I completely understand they are aiming for an on-time departure, but they need to get their act together and stop changing the rules/procedures without clearly communicating.
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You'all missed the causation. It is high time to outlaw the T-10 door closing. There is a simple solution the door closing needs to be the departure time. SIMPLE.
The idiots who invented T-10 door closing should have their MBA diplomas invalidated. |
Originally Posted by m44
(Post 30836081)
You'all missed the causation. It is high time to outlaw the T-10 door closing. There is a simple solution the door closing needs to be the departure time. SIMPLE.
The idiots who invented T-10 door closing should have their MBA diplomas invalidated.
Originally Posted by JonNYC
(Post 30835901)
If you mean this, not an admonition against early boarding, something else.
https://twitter.com/TheForwardCabin/...60893496897536 |
Originally Posted by Cledaybuck
(Post 30836124)
Interesting. No mention of how it affect passengers though, just how it affects AA.
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Originally Posted by GNRMatt
(Post 30833918)
I may be in the minority, but I'm good with them boarding early since it gives a somewhat better likelihood of us actually getting out of there on time. I find when they start boarding "on time" on the mainline planes, half the time they are still boarding by the time we should depart.
Maybe what they really need to do is bump up the departure time to 45 minutes instead of 30 minutes. |
Originally Posted by NYCommuter
(Post 30834978)
No but, sorry, I'm not sympathetic, except for the rudeness of the agent. I'd love it if flights boarded right when boarding was to start and if they closed the door and departed as soon as possible.
So what's the point of publishing departure times in schedules? "Hey, we'll just depart whenever we're ready! If you're not there, too bad!" This T-10, T-15, D0, WXYZ garbage is annoying. Agree with a post upthread that suggested cutting things off AT departure time. Then they can have 10 minutes to clear standbys and get the plane out. Build it into the ARRIVAL times for chrissake. Would be so much easier for consumers. |
Reading this reminds me of how screwed up air travel is in the US between this latest nonsense, the inevitable sitting on the tarmac forever...ugh.
Every European flight I take boards 30 minutes in advance (with a few exceptions). How is it that these flights can properly board in that timeframe and AA flights cannot? |
Originally Posted by bostontraveler
(Post 30836302)
Reading this reminds me of how screwed up air travel is in the US between this latest nonsense, the inevitable sitting on the tarmac forever...ugh.
Every European flight I take boards 30 minutes in advance (with a few exceptions). How is it that these flights can properly board in that timeframe and AA flights cannot? ppl in europe check their bags, even the tiny ones, so no scrum or delay waiting for ppl to hoist mammoth trunks no waiting for first class to get situated or pdbs because eurobiz is weak |
Being a wheelchair user, this issue complicates things for me tremendously as I need to be at the gate to preboard before regular boarding starts. Always a great unknown when that is. I always leave room and go to gate very early before heading to lounge and ask GA what time to return to preboard. Even getting there 5-10 minutes before the time I was told, I have often seen them already on group 4. It is quite annoying to have everyone stare at you while you are wheeled down the aisle by incompetent people and then have to move the folks in B/C to get to A.
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Not really-- checking bags is as expensive as in the US.
That said Europeans travel with less "stuff"... And agreed, the whole upgrade process does slow things down- good point. |
Originally Posted by no2chem
(Post 30832573)
I'm at the lounge at B4, which is about a 10 minute walk to the gate. I leave at boarding time sharp (2:27pm).
No comfy lounge seat makes up for the stress of worrying about missing my flight. And, yes, they do board and depart early. Yay. I'd rather get to my destination a bit early than wait for some lounge lizard to saunter in at the last minute. |
Data Point: I was standing-by on AA1456 today (currently waiting on tarmac at DFW, ugh). It was a totally booked flight and I was #6/20 on the standby list. They cleared #1 on the standby list at T-18 to departure. I cleared at T-13, and there were others that cleared after me. Not sure if the guy who cleared at T-18 was taking the seat of someone who they knew wouldn’t make the flight or what... I rarely fly on “completely full flights” so I usually find myself clearing standby at T-45 so I don’t have much other anecdotal eveidence to share. |
Another data point at DFW on Eagle (Envoy) on a ERD today, 4:25 departure, leave lounge at 3:52, get to gate at 4:03 and they are paging “for an on time departure”, sitting in 1A and the FA asks me if there were others waiting to board, I said it appeared so and she huffed and said they should be on the plane already. I pointed out that they had 7 minutes to hit T-15 and 12 for door close, she huffed saying they “had” to get out on time and people needed to board earlier. I just smiled and put my headphones back on. AA going for great indeed, if you have a MCT of 40 minutes it feels more like 10-15 when going Eagle to Eagle waiting on valet bags. |
Another data point at DFW on Eagle (Envoy) on a ERD today, 4:25 departure, leave lounge at 3:52, get to gate at 4:03 and they are paging “for an on time departure”. . . . We have more than once been on time, but already been replaced by standby passengers. Got on but relegated to much worse seats than I had snagged. No I was not happy but I learned some things just are. Yes I have seen them close the door. I would really not be happy if they left me. Of course in an earlier period of my life I was frequently the standby traveling for business on very short notice just hoping they would give me somebody's seat because I was supposed to be somewhere by morning. |
Originally Posted by newyorkgeorge
(Post 30835853)
Listen to ATC recordings on YouTube. Pilots need approval for all ground movement. They simply can't drive off to and from the gate as they please. In fact when you listen to ground controllers at large airports there's often testy communication with pilots. If the controller has a tarmac full of planes he/she likely won't let an aircraft push early.
Not necessarily driving around the tarmac (Look at the records filed with FAA on flightstats.com, you can see planned, actual times for all sorts of things) So a pilot CAN 'depart the gate' (in terms of that metric that AA posts publicly) without moving. Then sit there for as long as AA wants, before the tower clears them to move into 'their turf". IMO |
Originally Posted by deeruck
(Post 30835086)
Door of the gate, not door of the plane.
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If you are at the gate at T-60 and can you sit in the gate area by the door until T-15? If they close the door is this IDB?
I ask as I saw a group watching some NBA game in CLT E and the GA was visibly frustrated with them. (My flight was next from E35z) |
Originally Posted by QueenOfCoach
(Post 30836495)
Personally I like to be at the gate well in advance of the boarding time.
No comfy lounge seat makes up for the stress of worrying about missing my flight. And, yes, they do board and depart early. Yay. I'd rather get to my destination a bit early than wait for some lounge lizard to saunter in at the last minute. |
Originally Posted by QueenOfCoach
(Post 30836495)
Personally I like to be at the gate well in advance of the boarding time.
No comfy lounge seat makes up for the stress of worrying about missing my flight. And, yes, they do board and depart early. Yay. I'd rather get to my destination a bit early than wait for some lounge lizard to saunter in at the last minute. |
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Originally Posted by Exec_Plat
(Post 30837582)
"Leaving the gate" seems to be "when the AA agent closes the plane door"
Not necessarily driving around the tarmac 7. 'Gate departure time' is the instance when the pilot releases the aircraft parking brake after passengers have loaded and aircraft doors have been closed. |
I never seem to be any of these flights that board early. All of mine even when the crew and the a/c is ready they wait for the countdown from the boarding signage. Yes I've noticed that AA will post a departure time of when the door is closed. You can be sitting there 20 minutes later and the flight shows departed.
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Originally Posted by QueenOfCoach
(Post 30836495)
Personally I like to be at the gate well in advance of the boarding time.
No comfy lounge seat makes up for the stress of worrying about missing my flight. And, yes, they do board and depart early. Yay. I'd rather get to my destination a bit early than wait for some lounge lizard to saunter in at the last minute. |
Originally Posted by no2chem
(Post 30839527)
...just, um, sitting there as they "clear checklists" or something. Supposedly.
https://www.aopa.org/training-and-sa...eoff-checklist |
Did anybody say "Spanair 5022"...?!
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Originally Posted by deeruck
(Post 30838720)
Yep, I'm sure. The GA doesn't simultaneously shut the jetbridge door and the aircraft door at T-10.
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Originally Posted by JonNYC
(Post 30839710)
Yeah, you're right- who needs it?
https://www.aopa.org/training-and-sa...eoff-checklist Now that I think about it, a lot of delayed departures I've sat on (including this recent one) are related to lagging ground ops; they've rushed everyone aboard but they're still loading luggage on, for example. The luggage excuse really annoys me, as AA has the most idiotic late luggage-check policy in the industry (as in, no bags accepted, even as 'late' after T-45)... so they really don't have an excuse here... |
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